1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a beaded ornament and an arrangement for, and a method of, making the ornament and, more particularly, to jewelry worn on a human body for decoration, such as necklaces, bracelets, earrings and rings, and, still more particularly, to a craft kit for enabling a craftsperson, especially a child, to make such jewelry.
2. Description of the Related Art
Jewelry-making craft kits utilizing beads of various sizes, colors and shapes and suitable for use by all ages and levels of skill of craftspeople are generally known. A typical kit includes a flexible element, such as a string or yarn, which is threaded through a hole extending through each bead. To prevent the beads from moving along the flexible element, it is known to tie one or more knots in the element, each knot being larger in size than a respective bead hole. As advantageous as such kits are in making jewelry, especially for wear by children, experience has shown that the flexible element may break, especially with rough handling, and that the beads tend to move along the flexible element despite the presence of the knots.
Accordingly, it is a general object of this invention to provide a craft kit whereby young and old alike can create a decorative, finished item of jewelry, without the necessity of extensive training or particular artistic skills.
More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to create a beaded ornament wherein the beads will not undesirably move along a mounting element, and wherein the mounting element is resistant to breaking.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel arrangement for, and a novel method of, making a jewelry item, which is easy and entertaining to make, requires little time to complete, is aesthetic in appearance, and is durable in use.
In keeping with the above objects and others which will become apparent hereinafter, one feature of the present invention resides, briefly stated, in an arrangement for, and a method of, making an ornament, especially jewelry worn by a child, by employing a supporting structure having a pair of supports spaced apart along a longitudinal axis. A closed loop of a twistable material, such as a metal wire which is resistant to breaking but retains its shape after being distorted, has a pair of bight end portions respectively mounted on the supports, and a pair of rail portions extending along the longitudinal axis between the supports. A plurality of beads is successively arranged along the rail portions. The beads may be of the same or different colors, sizes, shapes and compositions. Each bead has a passage through which both rail portions are threaded with clearance.
In accordance with this invention, an actuator, for example, a manually turnable hand crank, is operative for jointly turning one of the supports and the bight end portion mounted thereon in a circumferential direction about the longitudinal axis. During this turning, the rail portions are twisted about each other and form twists in successive arrangement along the rail portions. Each twist adjacent a bead tends to hold the bead in a fixed relation on the rail portions. Due to the nature of the material used for the loop, each twist does not untwist, but instead, retains its twisted shape, thus insuring that the beads will not undesirably slide along the loop.
Preferably, the supporting structure includes a main housing section, and an extension section mounted on the main section for movement along the longitudinal axis. The beads are stored in compartments in the main section. Indicia, indicating the length of the loop, is provided on the main and the extension sections. A plurality of locks is successively arranged along the housing sections for locking them in a selected position relative to each other.
After the beads have been fixed in position, the closed loop is removed from the supports and formed into an annulus when it is desired to form the ornament as a bracelet, necklace, or ring. A fastener, for example, a resilient latch, may be mounted on one of the bight end portions and is then hooked onto the other bight end portion to make it convenient to wear or remove a bracelet or necklace from one""s wrist or neck, respectively. The bight end portions can also be directly connected to each other.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.